SF, Help me choose a career path.

I'm 22 and will graduate in May with a BS in Finance. I have a shit GPA, but can probably still get a job paying 35-45k out of school. I took the LSAT and scored in the 95th percentile, so I can go to a state school for free or cheap, and maybe even a t10 with tons of debt.

Is going for a JD, or JD/MBA a wise choice right now? Another option would be working for 2-4 years, paying off my undergrad debt, and getting my CFA certification during that time. Work experience would make a t10 law school a certainty (namely Northwestern). However, working a few years for 35k seems like a waste of time. I feel like I could probably be making $16-18 an hour in manufacturing by now if I had started that 4 years ago instead of a degree.

Personally if I was in your shoes with a BS in Finance, I would be tempted to go to work for a company that has tuition reimbursement and get my MBA on someone else's bill. Realistically, you could have your MBA before you turn 26 without adding to your debt.

I had a one year gap between undergrad and my MBA. My recommendation (if you want an MBA) would be to go work for a medium to large organization and learn as much as you can for at least 2-3 years. Although I learned a lot during my MBA program, my limited work experience and corporate exposure restricted my ability to relate to some topics and ultimately limited my ability to contribute to some discussions. I feel that more work experience prior to an MBA program is beneficial, but at the same time I am really glad to have the degree in my back pocket. I can't speak for any other MBA's, but I know that I (as well as many other classmates) am not really putting my degree to work right now. Most of the younger (and thus inexperienced) classmates still have middle level jobs. I guess in bigger cities you might have more luck than us...

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags.

Also what kind of entry level jobs would you guys suggest looking for with little to no experience in finance (tons of customer service and analytical experience from working as a pharmacy tech throughout schooling) with bs in financial economics background? Sorry to semi threadjack but hopefully this can help OP as well. Edit: forgot to mention I eventually want to go into consulting and be an analyst

95th percentile with a shitty gpa is way worse than you think. There is NO WAY you are going to Northwestern with a 167/low gpa. Let alone a "certainty" with work experience. Check out Law school numbers. No one between 166-168 was admitted below a 3.7 gpa.

Bottom line is you are seriously overestimating your chances of admission and scholarships. Scholarships are hard to get as someone with a low gpa.

I'm 22 and will graduate in May with a BS in Finance. I have a shit GPA, but can probably still get a job paying 35-45k out of school. I took the LSAT and scored in the 95th percentile, so I can go to a state school for free or cheap, and maybe even a t10 with tons of debt.

Is going for a JD, or JD/MBA a wise choice right now? Another option would be working for 2-4 years, paying off my undergrad debt, and getting my CFA certification during that time. Work experience would make a t10 law school a certainty (namely Northwestern). However, working a few years for 35k seems like a waste of time. I feel like I could probably be making $16-18 an hour in manufacturing by now if I had started that 4 years ago instead of a degree.

Thoughts?

Here is what I would do in your shoes. Forget the JD- you do not have the GPA to get into a good school, and these are not good times for graduates of second-tier school. Dont sweat it though, law is awful work anyway.

What you need to be doing is contacting middle market and regional banks with interest in their public finance groups. I think a kid in your shoes could talk his way into an analyst job at a regional office. Unsexy group +unsexy location means less competetion for you. Groups in these Midwestern cities (where it sounds like youre from?) have a tough time keeping Analysts, because once they get good experience, they move on to greener pastures. At the interview tell the MD you are trying to establish yourself in this location long-term and they will eat that shit up...

Pay will be about double whatever jobs youre looking at now, and though this aint the top of the food chain, it's not some shitty back office job doing accounting and cost analysis. You'll get good experience that you could leverage into better things, or if you like where youre at, working your way up to MD at these jobs is one of the few ways to make good money in smaller cities. I think they pull down 500-800k.

Here is what I would do in your shoes. Forget the JD- you do not have the GPA to get into a good school, and these are not good times for graduates of second-tier school. Dont sweat it though, law is awful work anyway.

What you need to be doing is contacting middle market and regional banks with interest in their public finance groups. I think a kid in your shoes could talk his way into an analyst job at a regional office. Unsexy group +unsexy location means less competetion for you. Groups in these Midwestern cities (where it sounds like youre from?) have a tough time keeping Analysts, because once they get good experience, they move on to greener pastures. At the interview tell the MD you are trying to establish yourself in this location long-term and they will eat that shit up...

Pay will be about double whatever jobs youre looking at now, and though this aint the top of the food chain, it's not some shitty back office job doing accounting and cost analysis. You'll get good experience that you could leverage into better things, or if you like where youre at, working your way up to MD at these jobs is one of the few ways to make good money in smaller cities. I think they pull down 500-800k.

I hear/read this type of thing all the time WRT analyst positions, but how is someone fresh out of school supposed to land a position that typically requires a minimum of 3-5 years of pretty specific experience (according to online analyst job postings)?

I hear/read this type of thing all the time WRT analyst positions, but how is someone fresh out of school supposed to land a position that typically requires a minimum of 3-5 years of pretty specific experience (according to online analyst job postings)?